Monday 7 July 2014

Previous Cross Stitch Projects, Part 2

Ok, let's start with this little guy.
This is Honey Bear from SUNSET.
I love bears and I also love the feeling of nostalgia this picture evokes. There's memories of Summers gone by and lazy afternoons to this design.


Next up: Summer Carousel Horse from Teresa Wentzler.
After years spent doing small, quite simple designs I saw this kit and just about fell over myself to buy it. The intricate detailing. The stunning colours. It's quite simply beautiful.
It was also a complete nightmare to stitch. My first time ever stitching on linen, the vast amount of fractional stitches, the sheer volume of isolated (or small groupings) of stitches all conspired to make this the longest stitching time ever. I think it took me over 3 years to complete. I know that I started on the blue part beneath the saddle (the centre) and once that bit was done I put the entire thing in a box for 2 years. Then I dug it out and finished it.
This is the second framing too. The first frame got water damaged and it seeped through to the design. Nigel cleaned and restored it and then we found the frame in The Range for £5.99!!! 
Now, it looks better than ever and it's one of my most prized projects.

Having got the 'intricate design bug', I tackled my first Mirabilia design (the mermaid I posted the other day was the second one I did).
This is Adia, the Flower Fairy. Beautiful colours and the usual high standard of design from Mirabilia, but what really attracted me to this design was the beads. That web she's holding is entirely beads and it's simply stunning in real life.
This also gave me a love of beads in cross stitch - which is why I then did the Mermaid of the Pearls.

Now, for something completely different.
I stopped stitching for six years after being diagnosed with severe RSI and Tennis Elbow (I'm fine now - or at least it's manageable).
Before I stopped, the next design had just been released and I fell in love with it.
As a lover of Native American themed designs I knew I had to have it.
So, I bought it - even though I knew I wasn't stitching.
And, in a box it sat for six long years.
When I finally got back into cross stitching this is what I dug out:
It's called Gift of the Eagle Feather and was a Dimensions Gold design if I remember correctly. One of the most beautiful designs colour wise but also incredibly boring to stitch all those reds!
Needless to say, I love the finished piece.

Lastly, something a bit different. The following piece I've shown on Facebook as an example of a design I hated. I stitched this for Nigel when we first met. He loves architecture and stately homes and I knew he'd love this.
It's simply called Blenheim Palace and I found it in an old cross stitch magazine.
Thankfully, I was right - because this was the most boring stitch project I've ever done.
Repetitive and dull.
But, the end result was worth effort. Nigel loved it and now I think it looks great. It helped getting the framing right.


Hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into my past.
And, just as a teaser...here's a glimpse into the future:


Keep an eye on my blog to find out what this is!

HAPPY STITCHING

5 comments:

  1. Your work is incredible! The frame on the carousel horse is absolutely perfect. Is it safe to assume it's a frame you found itsomewhere and repurposed for this project? The matting for the palace project was well chosen. The stacked structure of the mats complements the structure of the building perfectly. I don't know if you've posted these on the group page before but you should. The projects would inspire others and your choice of frames would be instructional as well.

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    1. I meant to do the below statement as a reply. Oops!

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  2. Thank you Angela.
    Re: the carousel horse. We'd discovered the design was damaged and had removed it from it's previous frame. Some months later I saw this frame in a store and just knew it was the right style. Thankfully I was right.

    I have posted some of these pictures on Facebook at various times. The very nature of Facebook being 'new new new' means that those posts are obviously lost. It's actually one of the reasons I started this blog - so I, and anyone else, could find my posts quickly.

    Lastly, I'm already thinking of doing a blog entry about framing and mounts...so I'll include Blenheim Palace in that. :-)

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  3. Hi Neil I found your blog through a Facebook stitching group. What an amazing collection of works you have completed! I especially love the colors of the Native American piece.

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    1. Thanks Lulu, and welcome to my blog!

      Glad you're enjoying what you see and will continue to! :-)

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